A Girl in a Sweater
by BonanzaRocks
Summary: "My prom date was a demon," Sam slurred as he reached for an empty bottle. Set after 10x8. Dean realizes that Sam needs a break from all of his research on the mark.
1. A Girl in a Sweater

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**This is going to be a relatively short story. Just a few chapters. Hope you enjoy!**

**Sorry about the first posting with the weird formatting! And thanks for letting me know about it!**

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Dean smiled to himself as he strolled through the bunker. Sam was resting his head on the desk surrounded by a pile of books. As Dean approached his brother he noticed a few other items on the desk. Empty bottles.

"Sammy?" Dean shook his brother's shoulders, "Sammy, wake up man."

"M'wake," Sam shrugged Deans hand off and sat up, maybe a little too fast, "Woah."

"You ok there bud?" Dean asked, not sure whether to laugh or check for emotional trauma. It had been a rough week with no new information turning up on how to get rid of the mark. Sam had taken it upon himself to read every scrap of paper in the bunker.

"My prom date was a demon," Sam slurred as he reached for an empty bottle.

Dean couldn't help but laugh a little at the left field comment.

"You think that's funny? Dean! I was so afraid that she was going to say no, and you know why she didn't? Because she was a demon. If she wasn't possessed she would have said no." Sam frowned as he tipped the bottle upside down and a single drop fell into his mouth.

"She never liked me. Unpossed, unpossessed I mean."

Dean watched as Sam turned every bottle upside down with the same disappointing conclusion. Empty.

"How do I make girls like me?" Sam asked. His face was earnest and his eyes searched Dean's face for an answer.

"Girls like you Sammy."

"No. They like you. They don't like me. I don't need a lot of girls to like me. Maybe just one nice girl. Who likes books, and…and sweaters."

"Sweaters?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

Sam simply shrugged.

"More?" Sam asked, picking up an empty bottle. His puppy dog eyes were in full effect.

"No more for you Sammy. Let's get you to bed." Dean pulled his brother up and grunted as Sam rested most of his weight on his shoulders. Together they staggered into Sam's room.

"G'night Dean." Sam shouted with a smile as he flopped down onto his bed.

"Night Sammy."

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Dean tapped gently on Sam's door. It was nearly nine and the bunker was too quiet.

"Sam? You alive?" Dean creaked the door open letting a ray of light into the pitch black rom.

"Eehhh!" Sam almost growled.

"Rise and Shine!" Dean flipped the light switch, "Breakfast's on the table, greasy eggs, some old sausages, and black coffee."

Sam rolled off of his bed and crawled into the dark bathroom.

Dean didn't have to move in any closer to know that his brother was puking his guts out.

"Doin' ok in there?"

"Go away!"

Dean threw his hands up in defense, "Ok sleeping beauty, don't forget to use mouthwash when you're done."

About ten minutes later Sam slunk into the kitchen. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was a mess.

"Is it safe to say good morning now?" Dean asked as he poured his brother a cup of coffee.

"Morning." Sam mumbled. He took a few slow sips. "What happened last night?"

"You tell me," Dean asked putting on a stern face, "I went for groceries and when I came back this place was a raging kegger."

Sam's eyes just about popped out of his head. Then his mind processed the logistics of that happening and he let out a small chuckle.

"Right," Sam smiled, "sorry about that."

Dean liked seeing that smile every now and then.

"Seriously though."

"Seriously?" Dean took a sip of his coffee, "Not too sure, you were doing some heavy research and I guess you got thirsty."

"And all I could find was beer and whiskey?"

"Apparently."

Sam nodded. He was starting to remember, it had been another long day of nothing. No clues, no answers, just nothing. He had been feeling pretty desperate.

"Alright, well I'm gonna hit the books. If I get thirsty again tonight, could you maybe get me a drink of water?"

"Shouldn't be too hard, I think you just about cleaned the whole liquor cabinet out," Dean smirked, "but hey, hit the shower instead."

Sam's face asked why.

"I gotta show you something I found a few towns over."

"Dean, I'm done working cases until we start making headway on the mark."

"It's not a case. Look just trust me, ok?"

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**Please please please review! :)**


	2. Book Bonding

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural :(**

**THANK YOU to all who are following and reviewing! It means a lot!**

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As Dean guided the Impala down the tiny main street of a tiny town he'd never been in he prayed that there would be some sort of café or bookstore. If there was a God he'd be surprised at this request.

"You gonna tell me where we're going now?" Sam asked as he glanced at the tiny shops and bars they were cruising past.

"Don't need to," Dean said with a smile, "we're here."

Sam looked up at the tiny business, Happy Endings: Bookstore/Café.

"A book store?"

"Slash café!"

"Dean what are we doing here?"

"Look man, I'm always dragging you from bar to bar. Thought you might like to change it up. Hit up the local bookstore."

"Slash café."

"Exactly! Now hop out Sammy," Dean parked and slid out of the car, "let's check it out."

Sam raised his eyebrows and followed Dean into the little shop. A bell rang out and a bearded man popped up from behind the counter.

"Welcome. Can I help you two find anything?" The bearded man asked with a smile, he gave Dean a nice stare down, "Anything at all?"

Dean was a bit taken back but he shrugged it off, "No, just looking thanks."

"Look all you want."

Sam smiled and worked hard to hold back a laugh. His attention was shifted from the situation as he felt someone walk into him from behind.

"Oof!"

Sam turned around to find his attacker.

"Sorry," the girl mumbled with a laugh, "didn't see you there."

She held up a book and smiled. She tried to hold her eyes on his but after a brief moment she found herself staring down at her shoes.

"Yeah, uh, no problem."

Dean nudged his brothers arm while doing a little eyebrow dance.

Sam rolled his eyes but continued, "Must be a good book."

"Oh yeah, way good! I make sure every book in here is good. Kind of my job, you know everyone likes a happy ending and sometimes you get really involved in a great story but then it ends and you're like man what the heck?! And it just completely ruins your day, maybe even week, I mean if it's a good one, so I just um yeah I'm rambling."

Sam laughed.

"Jane. Um if you need help with anything. That's my name."

Sam wanted to respond but his mouth wasn't doing what his brain wanted. He was too busy looking at Jane's beautiful face. She wasn't the typical beauty, but there was something about the way her freckles were scattered across her face like constellations that had him mesmerized. She tucked back a piece of dark brown hair that had strayed from her messy bun.

Dean cleared his throat, "Hey Sam, mind if I meet you back here in about an hour? I have to run a few errands."

"Uh, I-"

"Great!" Dean gave his brother an encouraging 'go get her' wink and closed the door behind him.

Sam and Jane stood in silence. Finally the bearded man spoke up.

"I've got inventory to do in the back. Holler if you need me."

"Yeah, sure thing Ralph." Jane said, both nervous and excited about the space he was allowing her and the handsome customer.

"So, Sam, was it?" Jane started, trying to act natural, "What are you looking for?"

"Uh, a good book?" Sam was having a really tough time focusing on the conversation. Had it always been this hard for him to talk to pretty girls?

"Right," Jane laughed, "so what was the last thing you read that you really enjoyed?"

Sam's mind blanked. Reading that he had enjoyed. Well for the past few weeks it had been nothing but lore on the mark of Cain. Before that, various research for cases they'd been working. He'd been reading Game of Thrones on and off when he needed a break, but that wasn't a series he expected to find on the shelves of Happy Endings.

Jane could practically hear the wheels in Sam's brain spinning, "Nothing too good lately?"

"Not exactly."

"Hmm, do you like action?"

Sam nodded.

"Adventure speckled with humor?"

Another nod.

"And maybe an unyielding love story to back it all up?"

"Couldn't hurt, right?" Sam said with a smile. He was curious as to where this was leading.

"Follow me." Jane said turning on her heels.

Sam followed her down one of the isles. Although she couldn't have been any shorter than five nine, Sam couldn't help but think about how delicate she appeared. Maybe it was because of the chunky knit sweater that hung loosely off of her shoulders.

"Now," Jane said stopping in front of one of the shelves, "this is from my personal personal collection so you'd have to promise me you'd love it."

She blushed a little as she saw the sweetness shine out of Sam's eyes as he nodded. She moved aside a few books and pulled out a worn yellowed copy of, "The Princess Bride."

Sam's face lit up as soon as he read the title.

"I haven't seen that book since I was a kid!" Sam exclaimed as he reached out for it. His face flushed a little as he retreated, feeling foolish for getting so excited. Jane laughed and handed it to him.

"So you've read it?"

"Oh yeah, I mean it's a classic. It's got everything, like you said, action, adventure, comedy, romance. I still remember my dad yelling at me to turn off the light when I was staying up to finish it. He was so mad because we were on a hunt," Sam stopped, remembering who was audience to this memory, "um hunting trip in the mountains. He said we needed to be alert the next morning. But then," Sam paused again, remembering the night, "then he saw what I was reading, and he let me finish. Because he said I'd love the ending."

Sam cleared his throat, "Sorry, haha I didn't mean to go into my life history there."

"No, no I get it. Books hold a lot of memories. Not just with the stories inside of them, but with the stories of our lives as we read them." Jane shrugged, "If that makes sense."

"It does," Sam whispered as he once again caved and looked into Jane's hazel eyes. They were the most beautiful colorful puzzle he had ever seen.

"You know, I wouldn't mind reading this again, would it be alright if I stayed a while? Apparently, my brother wont be back for an hour."

Jane nodded enthusiastically, "Stay as long as you need, there's a really comfy couch in the café."

"Thanks," Sam didn't want to leave Jane's side but he couldn't keep standing in potentially awkward silences with her.

Jane went back to work reorganizing the shelves, sweeping, and attending to other shop duties. Every time she heard a little laugh coming from the couch she was tempted to run over and see what part Sam was at, but she restrained herself.

She had never actually been in a romantic relationship. Unless you counted the ones involving fictional characters. There was something about this mysterious customer that she couldn't put her finger on. Yes, he was tall, attractive, and build like a barn. And then there was the whole gentle warm eyes, slight scruff, and silky dark hair. But there was something deeper than that, she could sense a greatness within him. She didn't know what that meant exactly, but there was something about him that she was drawn to. Suddenly, Jane was ripped from her thoughts as the bell rang signaling a new customer. She was extremely disappointed when she heard a man call out, "Sammy?"

Sam and Jane both made their way to the front of the store to greet Dean.

"Ready?" Dean asked looking back and forth between the two.

"Yeah," Sam responded taking one last look at Jane. It was like every time he looked into her eyes his world clicked into place. "Thanks again."

"Yeah, thanks!" Dean added as he stuck out his hand for a handshake. Sam was a little taken back by the awkward move but soon it was over.

The two brothers walked out of the bookstore and were almost in the car when Jane came running out.

"Wait!" she exclaimed waving a book in the air, "You forgot this."

She handed the book to Sam who said, "I can't take this from you."

"Please, I want it to go to someone who will enjoy it." She pushed up a thick sleeve and took a step back.

"Thanks." Sam said, and Jane could tell it was genuine.

"No problem. Maybe, I'll see you around."

Sam shrugged and tried to look optimistic, "Maybe."

Jane gave a small wave and bounced back into the store. When the door closed behind her she let out a deep breath. It was a gutsy move she had made and she was hoping it would pay off.

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**Hope you enjoyed it! A nice little "BM" coming up in the next chapter :) **

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	3. Date Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**THANK YOU so much to those who favorite, follow, and of course...review (my favorite)!**

As Sam and Dean drove back to the bunker Sam tried to shrug off all of Dean's questions. What had they talked about? Did he kiss her? When would they see each other again?

Dean parked the car back at the bunker, "We can go back in a few days if you want."

"Dean, stop! This isn't high school," Sam said casually flipping through the book Jane had given him. When he got to the page he had dog-eared in the shop he stopped. There was writing in the margin.

Dean looked over at the book, "Numbers!"

Sam shut the book, a slight pink hue was taking over his face, "It's nothing."

"Mmmhmm. Looks like Sammy's still got his moves." Dean lightly punched his brother's shoulder and got out of the car.

….

"Soup's on!" Dean called out as he stirred the pot of boiling soup. He poured two bowls and went to the table. When Sam didn't appear Dean went to fetch him. Lately it was like pulling teeth to get Sam to step away from his mark of Cain research for a meal.

Dean popped his head into Sam's room and smiled at what he saw.

Sam was sitting on his bed. He had a pile of old, research books surrounding him. But he wasn't holding any of those. He was holding The Princess Bride in one hand, and his phone in the other.

"Hey Sammy," Dean said, announcing his presence, "dinner's ready."

Sam tried to set down the two items nonchalantly, "Be right in."

"If you need to make a phone call, take your time. I understand." Dean smiled.

Sam rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to call her."

"Really? You had me fooled," Dean walked the rest of the way into his brothers room and pulled up a chair, "Go ahead, I'll wait."

Sam smiled at the goofy look on his brother's face. He felt like he was fourteen all over again.

"Dean, we don't have time for this. The mark-"

"Screw the mark! Sammy, you've been slaving over this thing day and night. I think we should just take a minute to be honest here."

Sam wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going, but he let Dean continue.

"We don't know anything about the mark, nobody seems to know anything about it. How to get rid of it. So how about you just stop killing yourself over this and have a little fun."

"I'm not killing myself," Sam mumbled.

"You barely eat, you get what? Three hours of sleep? Maybe? I swear your eyes are about to fall out from all the reading you do. Just, call this girl. Have a good time. Please?"

Sam opened his mouth to protest, he wanted to tell Dean that he wasn't exactly the best example. He wanted to ask when the last time Dean did something for himself was. He wanted to ask when the last time Dean had a good (non-demonic) time was, but Dean stopped him.

"I mean when was the last time you went on a full on, one hundred percent normal, fun, date?" Dean watched his brother's face looking for an answer.

Sam couldn't think of the last time that had happened. Then he remembered, Jess. But it hurt to much to bring her up.

"Too long, right?" Dean asked, "And I checked her out…not like that…I mean she's not a shape shifter, a demon, or anything supernatural. She's just nice sweater girl. That's it."

"How did you," Sam's voice trailed off as he thought back to the time in the bookstore, "the handshake?"

Dean smiled, "Yep, my hand was drenched in holy water, and I was wearing a silver ring. Plus, while you two were…cuddling or whatever it is _you_ do with girls, I got her backstory. She's clean."

Sam had to laugh, "Why did you go to all this trouble Dean?"

"You're my brother. I just want you to be happy," Dean looked down at the phone on Sam's bed, "Now call her already!"

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Jane sat on her bed, her attention torn between her bowl of ice cream, the movie she was watching on Turner Classic Movies, and her dead silent phone. She knew that giving Sam her number was a long shot, but she still had a little glimmer of hope.

When she found the bottom of her ice cream bowl, she debated with herself for a minute and then decided to cave and get a refill. She stood and walked over to the freezer, and then, it rang.

With lightning speed she dashed to the couch. She took a deep breath as she saw the number was one she didn't recognize.

"Hello?" her voice was quiet.

"Hey," Sam said a bit unsure as well, "is this Jane?"

"Yeah."

Sam didn't know what to say next.

"It's Sam," Dean whispered.

Sam shot Dean a look before repeated the introduction, "It's Sam."

"Hey Sam!" Jane bit her lip, had she sounded too excited?

Dean motioned for Sam to keep talking.

"Hey, uh, I was wondering if you liked dinner."

Dean threw Sam a confused look. To which Sam responded with an "I don't know!" face.

"Yeah, I love it." Jane responded, it comforted her a little to know that Sam was a little awkward himself.

Sam turned so he wasn't facing Dean, he was unable to focus on his conversation with his older brother staring him down, "How about dinner this weekend? Friday night?"

"That would be great," Jane smiled, "I close the shop around six."

"Great! I'll pick you up," Sam smiled and Dean smiled as he watched Sam smile.

As Sam ended the call he looked to Dean, he was trying to mask his nervous excitement. He hadn't been on a date in forever.

"My little Sammy! All grown up!" Dean laughed.

"Jerk."

Dean opened his mouth to respond but was silenced by a pillow to the face.

Friday night came all too soon and Sam was having second thoughts, actually make that hundredth thoughts. He'd been mulling over the whole idea of the date for the past few days and it was driving him crazy.

If he didn't like her that was that and it was just a nice meal. But what if she continued to charm him as she had in the bookstore? What if he wanted to take her out again? What then? And what about all of his secrets? What if he fell in love with her? He didn't want her to get hurt. He didn't want her to die. These seemed to be pressing issues.

"Stop!" Dean nearly shouted, he'd been watching Sam button and unbutton his outer jacket for the past five minutes, "It'll be fun."

"What am I supposed to tell her about myself? Hey, so I'm Sam. I like to read. I hunt evil. Except for when I'm soulless, starting the apocalypse, or you know, the devil."

"Dude. Relax. Just be yourself."

Sam gave his brother a sassy look.

"Ok, be mostly yourself with a few white lies here and there." Dean tossed a ring of keys over to Sam, "Drive save."

Sam looked over to Dean, "You sure?"

Dean nodded.

"Thanks," Sam smiled and unbuttoned his outer layer for the final time.

Dean watched as Sam fired up the Impala and drove off in the direction of the little town where Jane worked.

His smiled faded as his mark started to throb, Dean knew it would be long before that mark became a much bigger problem. But for now, all was right with the world. For the first time in a long time, Sammy was on a date. Dean couldn't be more proud.

**THE END!**

**Hope you all enjoyed this little story! I had fun writing it. PLEASE PLEASE review...I feed on reviews... ok that's a bit dramatic but still...**


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